Love the Way You Lie
by Punkakitty
Summary: Victor feels things that he can't explain. But when he lets his inner beast out, he could care less about he what feels other than the satisfaction of spilling blood and breaking bones. When it comes to Leila though, it's a different story.


Love the Way You Lie

An X Men Fanfiction

Written by TM Frazz (aka Punkakitty)

*All rights belong to their proper owner(s). Including the original character Leila, which belongs to me*

Victor had no idea why he kept her around. He had no idea why he felt oddly complete with her there. The urge to hit her came and went, yet he had no desire to do it often. But when heavy blows made contact with bone and flesh got pierced by claws, an emotion would surge through him afterward. It was something he didn't understand yet and had trouble coming to terms with. Admittedly (though ashamed of it), it scared him. Victor wasn't sure if this emotion was what the "_normals"_ would call guilt or sympathy. All he knew was that it wasn't the pleasurable satisfaction he got while ripping the life out of a twitching body or watching hope fade out of the eyes of a victim. Nothing like that at all . . .

She sat perfectly still at the kitchen table, back straight with her hands neatly folded in her lap. As if she was mimicking a marble statue. Her gaze focused on the scenery beyond the window before her, a thicket of trees with a narrow dirt path disappearing past their trunks. The sun was setting, almost below the treetops now. Remaining rays gave the young woman's skin a honey hued glow while shadows played along her face and around the kitchen. Her eyes held a distant look, as if seeing something beyond the trees.

Victor watched her from the doorway, leaning against the frame. He mimicked her stillness and made sure he was completely silent as he observed her. The sun's dying light lingered on her face, slowly disappearing as nightfall approached. The rays glided along her face then through her hair before becoming a small patch above her head on the wall. Shadows quickly replaced the areas the light had just been. As the sun became just a speck through the trees, Victor pushed away from the doorway and made his way into the kitchen. His bare feet were soundless against the cool ceramic tiles as he closed the gap between himself and the woman's statuette figure. He placed his hands on her shoulders when he got close enough and began to stroke the straps of her tank

She didn't flinch from the sudden touch, which only meant she knew he had been in the doorway. Victor was aware that she _felt_ him with her powers. Felt him as he had stalked down the hall and stood in the door frame before taking his place behind her. Just like how she now felt him tracing a claw over the cursive lettering that permanently marked her back, revealed by the style of the tank. She kept her focus on the outside scenery though, not even registering the contact Victor was making.

Victor moved his hand back to her shoulder and peered around at her face. Not even a blink, just that distant stare.

"What do you see, Leila?" He asked while turning his attention out the window as well. Her shoulders rose under his hands as she breathed in deeply.

"The predators of the night that are just coming out, tracking those that are taking too long to get back home or have gotten lost . . ." Her voice was flat and held no distinct emotion, yet Victor felt the sting of each word. They were like a slap in the face that halted Victor for a second. As the words sunk in, his fingers drummed on Leila's shoulders.

It wasn't long ago when he had caught on to the hidden meanings of Leila's answers whenever she was asked about what she saw. Yes, there were predators out there in the darkness, hunting unsuspecting prey. Victor could sense them just as well as Leila could, even if it was in a different way. The smell of fear and death wasn't a stranger to him. But he knew that Leila's responses meant him. He'd admit, he was a predator and damn proud of it. And from the time he had spent with Leila so far, it was obvious she was one too in her own way. So when he finally figured out the true meanings of her answers, he didn't find them clever. He wasn't going to allow himself be labeled the big bad wolf while Leila deemed herself as the unfortunate victim. Oh no, it did not work that way.

"Victor . . . VICTOR!" Leila's sudden yell broke Victor's train of thought. She snatched herself away from him quickly and stood up from the chair. Victor looked at her before the movement of fine red lines flowing down her arms caught his attention. Small, jagged slits from where his claws had hooked into her skin while he was in thought covered her shoulders now, made worse by her pulling away.

"Come on." He ordered as he grabbed her hand. He led her out the kitchen and down the hall. It was dark inside the house, which Victor knew made him slightly vulnerable with Leila around. No keen senses could help him fully with her powers…

The two reached a bathroom and Victor flipped the light on. He dropped Leila's hand as he went towards the medicine cabinet. Pulling out peroxide and some cotton balls, he turned toward Leila. Blazing violet eyes met his from out in the hall, filled with raw emotion. Victor ignored the stare, getting it more than once and proceeded with soaking a cotton ball with the peroxide.

"Just come on and hold still." She stepped in, still staring at him. The light lowered the intensity of her eyes, but not the emotion. Victor placed the cotton ball on the first shoulder causing an involuntary hiss from Leila. She glared up him and he continued the cleaning.

It wasn't the first time they were in this situation. It'd happened many times before. When Victor thought about it, it was almost on a daily basis. Shaking his head, he moved to the other set of wounds. Looking down at her, he noticed she was no longer glaring, but had her eyes downcast. A smirk played at his mouth, knowing she probably saw the sudden excitement he had sprouted. He stopped cleaning and placed the cotton ball on the sink before lifting her chin up. Her eyes had went back to their normal color and held a different emotion now. Taking his other hand, he traced it across the wounds that hadn't gotten cleaned, picking up some blood. He smeared it on Leila's lips before crashing his own on hers. Not hesitating, she wrapped her hands behind his neck and pulled him in. Victor could hear her pulse quicken and it excited him more. Gripping her waist, he pressed her against himself, grinding into her. At the sudden movement, she tensed up and pushed away.

"What is it?" Victor growled. Leila stepped back and looked at him.

"It's always like this. We hurt each other, we clean up the mess, then makeup." She said. "The same routine almost every day and I'm getting tired of it." She backed up into the hall, seeing the anger beginning to pulse in him.

"You make it sound like it's entirely my fault. This shit is equally yours as it's mine, kitten."

Leila pressed her lips together tightly, her teeth now grinding together audibly. The frustration inside her boiled and it could be felt. It wrapped itself around Victor in a way that begged his inner feral to come out.

"I don't know what you believe in your mind, but you do most of the damage." Lifting the tank, she showed the jagged scars across her stomach and sides. Some were in the scabbing stage while others were still swollen and red "These are _your_ marks on me." Her voice shook with anger. But Victor's temper had already skyrocketed and he was ready to let go. Snarling, he ripped his own shirt off. Another ruined shirt for the trash.

"And what are these on me, tattoos?" His own body was still littered in bruises from a previous fight. He may have had accelerated healing, but damage from Leila's powers consisted of such rage and dark matter that it slowed it down somehow. Leila took a shaky breath and a tremor went through her. She gave Victor one last look before backing into the hallway and dissolving into the dark. Victor growled with bared fangs before slamming a fist onto the sink, chipping a chunk off the corner. It could be fixed in the morning.

Walking into the hall, Victor's senses heightened as he scanned the darkness. He knew he should've turned the lights on as soon as the sun went down, but it was too late now. The switch was at the end of the hall, and no amount of speed would give him time to catch Leila before she went either outside or upstairs. Trying to catch her scent was useless too. You couldn't sniff out a shadow. Victor pounded a fist into the wall as he walked to the kitchen. He was on high alert, ready for any sudden movements or sounds. There was nothing but a sliver of moonlight through the window. Flipping a switch, overhead lights flooded the kitchen and it looked the same as it did earlier. Standing there for a moment, he only heard the sounds of the house cracking.

"Damn it." He mumbled and went back into the hall. Walking in the opposite direction of the bathroom, the hall merged into the living room. It was pitch black with the curtains closed and it made the room a perfect hiding spot for Leila. Flipping two switches on the wall, lights flooded both the hall and living room. Empty. Eyeing the front door, Victor had a gut feeling that she didn't go out. With that in mind, he decided to play this game of hide and seek another way. Walking towards the curtains, he drew them open, allowing the natural light of the moon in. He then went back to switch the lights off before turning toward the stairs. If Leila wasn't in here or in the kitchen, it only left the bedroom. And so Victor made his way up the stairs and crept silently.

Leila sat against the farthest wall in the bedroom. Her powers fed on the darkness as it cloaked her protectively. She could feel Victor's movements in the dark, like ripples in water from a disturbance. She knew he was on the landing now, hearing him flick a switch and cursing when nothing happened. All he had to do was place bulbs back into their sockets, but he was too busy looking for her. Leila felt him walk towards the bedroom now and held her breath instinctively as he slammed the door open. She could see him clearly, his figure outlined in a purple haze. Pure anger was painted on his face, and it seemed to pulse off of him. His muscles were tensed and his breathing very shallow. He flipped the switch by the door and nothing happened. Leila could see the frustration suddenly explode in him. He stalked the room, throwing a lamp off the nightstand into the wall and pulling the sheets off the bed. He went to the closet and pulled the doors open. He stood right next to Leila, but didn't see her.

"Come on kitten. I'm not gonna hurt you." He spoke into the dark room. Those words were smothered in danger and Leila knew better than to let herself be found. She got up from where she was sitting and ran past Victor to go back downstairs.

Leila stopped at the bottom of the stairs, feeling Victor move around in the dark upstairs. She didn't want to know what he was doing and walked into the living room. Her eyes landed on the door that led outside. She debated on whether she should go out or stay in. Instincts told her to stay. There was just something about the darkness of the woods that frightened her, even more so than Victor while he was in one of his moods. Turning around, she screamed as Victor's form stood there.

"Kitten, did you really think you could hide all night long?" His voice still dripped with danger and Leila knew she was going to get it now. A clawed hand dug into her wrist and dragged out the living room. Looking back, Leila noticed that the curtains had been opened and the moon was proudly displayed through the panes. She couldn't dissolve back into the darkness with Victor's claws physically in her skin, and he knew it. Victor stopped by the switches and turned them on. Leila squinted at the sudden light. Turning around for a second, Victor grinned before walking to the kitchen. He stopped at the doorway and reached his free hand through to turn that switch on. With all the lights on now, Victor turned around to go toward the stairs, Leila still in tow.

"Up we go." He said and then hoisted her onto his shoulders. Leila felt compelled to punch and scratch at his back. Of course, that only angered him and it showed when they reached the landing. She was thrown off his shoulder, straight to the floor. Dropping onto her back, Leila saw that he had placed the bulbs back into the sockets, giving the landing light now. Her vision was soon filled by Victor, who scooped her up like a child before throwing her through the bedroom room, onto the bed. The room was still a mess and the ceiling light was on. Victor stood in the doorway, arms folded tightly across his chest. He watched Leila as she sat up on the bed, not making eye contact with him. He looked at her wrist, puncture wounds around it from his claws. Blood dripped onto the bed, staining the mattress. Silence hung in the air as the two stayed where they were. "Kitten . . ."

Leila looked up at him, raw hatred in her eyes. Looking away, she touched one of her shoulders, feeling the wounds from earlier. Victor huffed and walked a few steps into the room. She didn't look back at him, just kept touching the wounds. Victor bought a hand up to his face, gently tapping his temple as if deep in thought. In just a second he let out a roar and lunged at Leila. She couldn't move fast enough and was pinned under him. He bought his mouth close to her ear and wrapped a hand around her throat. The other hand kept her arms above her head.

"Together, we bring each other pain and pleasure." He whispered while he pressed his thumb into her windpipe. Leila tired to thrash about, but it didn't loosen the pressure. And bucking her hips only excited him. Trapped under him and breathless, Leila did the only thing she could do and relaxed. This seemed to take Victor by surprise and he looked down at her. She wasn't fighting back and that angered him. The little bit of control that he had left was replaced by the beast inside. He stopped pressing her windpipe and slapped her. He then dragged a claw down her cheek, blood welling up quickly. Another tremor passed through Leila and before long her eyes turned a dull violet. She was quivering quite violently now, but Victor just chuckled, knowing she couldn't use her powers without there being some sort of shadow near her. What he didn't know was that darkness resided in the closet, behind the clothes where the light didn't reach. And that secretly Leila had been practicing her ability to control shadows that weren't right at her fingertips. All those times she sat at the kitchen window, looking out of it, she'd been doing just that. Playing with the small shadows that began forming under trees as the sun would set. And with Victor not knowing that, it took him by surprise when he was suddenly pulled off the bed by a black vapor and thrown into a wall. Leila got off the bed and ran toward the door.

It didn't take Victor long to recover. He stood up, chips of paint on his shoulders from crashing into the wall. He had landed on the thrown lamp from his earlier rampage, and shards of it had pierced his back. His skin prickled as shards were pushed out and that only added to his new found anger. He looked at Leila, who was by the door, hand hovering over the switch. Her eyes were that burning violet color now and black vapor swirled by her feet.

"I'm tired Victor. I love and hate you at the same time. We hurt each other than make up for it. There's really no point in any of it." Before Victor could react, she flicked the switch and the room became dark with the only light coming from the hall. Victor saw Leila being covered by the darkness and disappearing into it. He then noticed a dark trail float into the hall and toward the ceiling. Before long, the sound of shattering glass was heard and the light was gone. Victor smirked and walked into the hall, feeling broken glass under his feet.

"Using your little shadows to break the bulbs instead of doing it yourself, I see." He called out, as he heard more glass breaking from downstairs and seeing the lights go out one by one. The house was now in total darkness. Victor knew what she wanted, a fight. So he'd give her what she wanted…

Leila sat on the kitchen counter, just a shadow in the room. She could feel Victor moving in the dark upstairs. She wondered what he was doing up there. It had been a good 10 minutes now and he hadn't came down yet. But Leila wasn't going to go find him, he would come to her. Sitting there, she looked toward the window, noticing the top of the trees swaying slightly. The moon was high in the sky now, shining through the window. Its light didn't reach the counter thankfully. A shiver ran through her suddenly and she knew Victor was downstairs now. Before long, his figure came into the kitchen. Leila stared hatefully at him then noticed that he had a hand behind his back. She was about to get up and walk behind him, but he suddenly placed his back against a wall.

"Come here kitty, kitty. I know you're around somewhere." He said. Leila could see his eyes searching all around. Looking beside her, she spotted the knife block and decided to end this now. Using her powers, she conjured up a small mass of shadows to wrap around the handle of one of the knives. Moving her hand around, she directed the knife out of its holder and aimed it for Victor's shoulder. The knife flew through the dark and was about to make contact until Victor moved out the way and it stuck into the wall. Before Leila could register the movement, Victor pulled out what he was hiding behind his back and pointed it her. The shadows quickly moved away as a flashlight revealed her and she shielded her eyes. It wasn't long before she felt his hand around her throat. The flashlight dropped to the floor and Victor lifted Leila up. He didn't even speak as he pulled her out the kitchen.

He walked up the stairs with her, still holding her throat. His other hand held her waist so that all the pressure didn't reside around her windpipe. They reached the bedroom and Leila was thrown on the bed once more. The light had been switched back on, and the closet door had been shut. Victor didn't even give Leila time to sit up before he lunged on her. He ripped her shirt, clawing at her sides and stomach. Her screams echoed through the room as he bit on her neck. The taste of blood in his mouth only made the beast inside stir up more and he kept attacking her. She tried to fight back, but her punches and kicks were useless. Without the aid of her powers, the damage she caused him healed right away. And there weren't any shadows for her to use.

It had only been a few minutes, but Leila was already a bloody mess. She could feel the various cuts and bite marks on her. She stopped fighting back and laid there. Eyes closed, she willed herself not to cry, but to instead focus on nothing but darkness. It ate at her mind while Victor ate at her skin. Numbness came over her and suddenly she wasn't able to feel Victor's pain. She opened her eyes and saw that Victor wasn't on top of her anymore. He had somehow been knocked off the bed and was against the opposite wall. Strangely, shards of glass were pelted in his side and were slowly being pushed out. A rush of air caused Leila to look toward the window and she noticed that it had broken. Outside was nothing but the night, and she made an assumption. Somehow connecting with the darkness in her mind caused her to pull in the darkness from outside. It recognized Victor as danger and pushed through the window to stop him. Leila looked down at herself and saw pieces of glass on the bed. Small bits had scratched her, but not had embedded into her.

Sudden laughter bought Leila's attention back to Victor, who had stood up. All of the glass had fallen to the floor. A murderous glint was in his eyes as he stretched his neck.

"You never fail to surprise me, kitten. I think that's why I've kept you around for so long now." He took a step toward the bed, cracking his knuckles. "But...um, how do I say this... Oh yes, you've overstayed your welcome." Before she knew it, Victor had lunged at Leila again and she managed to roll off the bed before he could pin her. Remembering the window, Leila concentrated and a dark mass came through, grabbing hold of Victor. He growled as he tried to break free, but the mass constricted tighter. Waving her hand to the side, the mass threw Victor into the dresser and he slumped to the floor. But Victor was a powerful beast and got up as if nothing happened.

Everything happened in mere seconds. Victor tackled Leila to the ground and the two wrestled. With the help of the dark mass, she was able to jab him the face and sides. They managed to roll onto the shards that had previously come out of Victor's flesh. The shards now embedded Leila, getting pushed in deeper each time Victor was able to pin her down. Crying out with frustration, Leila shoved Victor off of her and got up. She ran out into the hall and tried to disappear, but wasn't able to. She was in too much pain and had lost a lot of energy to do anything now. Before she knew it, Victor lunged onto her and they fell to the floor. Wrestling again, it didn't take long until they got too close to the stairs and started rolling down them.

Leila wasn't focused on fighting back but holding on as they tumbled. Luck wasn't on her side though when they crashed at the bottom. Victor's full body weight ended up on top and there was an audible crack. Leila had only hoped that it wasn't a rib.

Victor pushed himself up and rolled over. He was a bit bloody, but that was it. He looked over at Leila and knew something was wrong.

"Kitten…" He whispered, but she didn't stir. Moving closer to her, he looked her over. He could hear her heartbeat, which was slower than it should've been and her breathing was too. He got up and gently pulled her up with him and walked to the living room. He felt more broken glass under his feet and knew he'd have to replace the light bulbs in there. But the remaining light from the moon would be sufficient enough for now. He placed Leila on the couch, elevating her head with one of the pillows before walking out to get a few things.

Leila was half conscious. There was a sharp pain in her side that hurt whenever she breathed and made her want to pass out. She wasn't going to with Victor around though. She had felt him pick her up and bring her into the living room, but she didn't know if he was still under the influence of his inner beast. Though feeling exhausted, she tried to sit up. As soon as she did, the pain increased and she winched. About to reach toward her side, she felt Victor's hands stop her.

"Don't, or you'll only aggravate it more." He said from above her. Leila peered up through half opened eyes and saw him standing in front of her. He had gauzes, tweezers, peroxide and some sort of tube in one arm. He sat them on the floor before turning his back and walking just a few feet away. Leila watched him as he dug into his pocket and pulled out a box of matches. Leila figured he was going to use the fireplace for once or set her on fire. He lit a match and threw it onto the wood that usually just sat there and it caught fire instantly. The living room now had an orange glow it now.

Turning back around, Victor caught Leila staring at him. The glow from the flames danced on her face, mixing with the light of the moon. It immediately reminded him of how the sun had been just hours before. He walked back over to her, and began to pull glass out of her before cleaning the wounds. There was no point in cleaning each one individually since there were many, so Victor poured peroxide on a gauze and bathed an area at a time.

Leila stayed still as she felt the peroxide sting the various wounds, but she didn't make a sound. Victor was gentle when he came to her side, only lightly bathing it. Afterward, he opened the tube and a strong smelling cream came out. Leila assumed it was some sort of antiseptic as he rubbed it on her. He was done in a few minutes and wiped his hands down his pants. He looked down at Leila again before he picked up everything and walked out again. Leila watched him until he disappeared from her sight. She heard the bathroom door open, then the opening and shutting of the medicine cabinet. The sound of the sink turning on came next and that's when Leila let out a quiet chuckle. She realized that these situations always started and ended with the bathroom and cleaning up injuries. It didn't even come as a surprise anymore. As much of a beast she thought Victor was, she came to realize that she was one also. Victor had been right about the fact that she started these battles just as much as he did. This brought up another realization, and that was the fact that she wouldn't have survived this long with Victor if they didn't damage each other. It was a sick cycle they went through almost every day. And neither had walked away from it yet.

Leila was brought out of her thoughts when a warm sensation grew on her side. Victor kneeled by her, holding a compress on her injury.

"You'll probably have to go to the ER for this one." Was all he said as he pressed it down firmer. Leila winched, but the warmth seemed to sink through and caress the pain. She didn't respond, but instead looked over at him. The light from the flames rested on his cheek and she noticed flecks of blood in his beard. Her blood most likely. He turned and gave her a questioning stare.

"I like when you play doctor instead." She reached up and brushed the flecks out of his beard before gently cupping his cheek.

"Kitten . . ." He turned his head to kiss her palm then nipped it gently ". . . if you prefer to not go, fine. Less money coming out of my pocket." A smirk came onto his face, which caused Leila to smirk back. She withdrew her hand from his cheek and removed the compress before sitting up. Pain soared through her, but she ignored it. Victor watched her intently as she pushed herself up and off the couch. As soon as she tried to walk, more pain gripped at her and she nearly fell to the floor. But Victor had caught her and sat her back down on the couch. "Don't try to be tough or you will be going to the ER." Leila sighed and focused on the fire. Victor decided that it'd be best to sleep down here tonight since the window was broken in the bedroom. Leaving Leila on the couch, he walked upstairs and went past the bedroom. He stopped at a small door that happened to be the linen closet. He pulled out a heavy quilt then made his way back down to the living room.

Leila was still watching the fire, not even noticing Victor until he placed the quilt on her. He sat next to her uninjured side and she immediately placed her head on his chest. It strained her, but she just wanted to feel Victor in a way that didn't involve broken bones and blood.

"We'll have to patch up the house in the morning." She said as she scooted closer. Victor answered with a grunt before lifting her face up and kissing her rather roughly. The metallic taste of blood filled Leila's mouth and she remembered how he had bitten her not long ago. She pushed the thought out of her mind as she felt Victor's hand brush her thigh. He pulled away but still held her face in his hand. Silence lingered in the air while he looked her over, as if he had lost something. But he released her and turned back to the fire. Leila laid her head back onto his chest, feeling the rise and fall of each breath. She smelt the dried sweat and blood on his skin. It was a soothing scent that she'd never get tired of. Her eyes focused on the fire again as she allowed exhaustion to take over.

Victor tried to focus on the now dying fire, but it wasn't enough to bring his attention off of Leila. The smell of blood flowed off of her in heavy waves. It was enough to drown in. And then there was the pain that was pulsating from her side. He knew that it was a fractured rib, having caused such an injury to many people before. Yet, she was relaxed. Her breathing had become deep as sleep took over. Victor glanced down at her, noticing the slight smile on her lips. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, listening to her breathe. It didn't take long before the sound of her heart beating was picked up by his ears. The sound, along with the smell of her blood, got him wondering about how things would be if he actually spilled all of her blood during a fight and had to listen to the sound of her heartbeat slowly fade before halting. The thought made that familiar yet unknown feeling return. He still couldn't figure out what it was, but he was determined to find out eventually.

Sudden movement from Leila caused Victor to jerk his head and look down at her. Her head had fallen into his lap with her torso twisted in position that would strain her side. Victor decided to get up and allow Leila to have the couch. Gently lifting her head, he stood up and placed one of the pillows under it. He made sure the quilt covered her entirely before letting her be. He walked to the fireplace and shut the doors as the flames continued to die. He then made his way toward the kitchen, stepping on remaining pieces of glass without much thought.

In the kitchen he sat in the chair that Leila had positioned in front of the window. He stared out into the late night, recalling how the evening had begun. Just thinking about it made his jaw clench. Standing up, he rolled his shoulders and walked back into the living room. Going to the front door he flexed his hands before opening it. The cool night air prickled his bare skin. Movement in the dark placed his senses on high alert. Glancing over his shoulder at Leila, he gave her sleeping form one last look for the night before walking out and slamming the door behind him. If he couldn't watch the blood drain from Leila or hear her heartbeat fade without getting that unknown feeling then there was sure to be a poor, lost creature out there that would do nicely instead. And that fact that he didn't have to worry about ruining another shirt made it even better.

End.


End file.
